Smells Like Chocolate
by Fleeting Illicit Delicious
Summary: Oneshot! Gozaburo was a cruel person, he was a ruthless person, he was a heartless person...but not always. Mokuba and Gozaburo genfic


Disclaimer: Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh!. I'm just using his characters for a while.

Not much to say. Just a little story about Gozaburo and Mokuba.

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It was hot stuffy day. The sweat drenched business man felt the moistness on his face and under his arms as he walked around his handsome garden, taking notice of nothing in particular.

There were roses of every kind, small yellow ones and large, fleshy red ones. There were ornamental trees pruned to perfection and tall lemon grasses in large ceramic pots. There was a huge section of the garden devoted to a marble fountain with lily pads and lotus, all brilliant in color and shape. There were gardenias and hibiscus, carnations and chrysanthemums, orchids and azalea. Each flower was placed perfectly in the garden to compliment the other flower or plant it stood next to. Everything in the garden was happy and alive, except for the businessman who felt ill and miserable.

Of course, most of the flowers were in bloom now and their fragrances wafted into an intoxicating, beautiful aroma but the businessman only ignored these scents. He longed for the harsh scent of the sea and the musty smell of sand. It seemed like a lifetime ago when he had gone sailing in the tropics, the playful, calm sea releasing him from his stressful life as he held...

Just then something flew out of the bushes making the flowers jump out of their perfect lifelessness as if a great wind had come up all of a sudden. Then that something grabbed and ripped the flowers from their stems in a senseless fashion, leaving broken ugly branches in its wake. The figure, however, stopped immediately when it noticed the businessman staring down at it with stern eyes.

Oh yes. Now he remembered. He was sharing his garden and house and fortunes with complete strangers because of some foolish bet he had made. As much as he wanted to kick himself for it, he knew things were the way they were and could not be changed. If he had to share his fortunes with two complete strangers then so be it. At this point, there was no one else he'd rather have run his company.

"So you've been picking my flowers have you?" He said in the calmest but most menacing voice he could muster. The boy in front of him nodded, hiding the flowers behind himself.

"Who are those flowers for?" Said the business man. He knew the answer, but it was fun scaring the little kid.

"For Niisama" Announced the boy, as if all fear was gone from his being at the mention of his beloved older brother. Although the boy was nothing useful to the business man (leverage maybe, but that was all) he had a certain degree of cuteness that the older man had cherished at one time.

"Very well. Come with me and leave those flowers."

Instead of resisting, the boy did as commanded. Dropping the flowers and walking with his head lowered as if all confidence had suddenly vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. It was good to know that someone still feared the businessman, he had tried very hard to build his reputation on fear and intimidation after all.

They walked on the nicely manicured pathway until they reached the front entrance of the house. From there, the businessman stepped into the grand hall of his home and instructed the boy to take a bath. "Don't touch a thing and I expect you back here in 15 minutes." The little one quickly did what was asked of him.

That once again left the older man alone to his thoughts. If was funny, now however, that he did not wish to think about anything. Besides business strategy, some things were better to not think about. He supposed he could live with himself better if his mind wasn't left to wander to the events in his life that had made him a little less human.

And just as the time was up, the little boy hurried down the stairs to greet the older man. He was in a new but modest suit, modest to the businessman anyway. He stood at the bottom step of the stairs, as if waiting for instruction.

"Come here." Said the older man, beckoning the little child. He got up close enough so the older businessman could smell him.

How cute. The little one still smelled like flowers.

"Follow me." Were all the instructions the child needed to follow the other out the door and to the cars in the driveway.

"Which car would you like to take today?" He asked.

"Is Niisama coming too?" Asked the little one, almost immediately.

"Don't mind your brother. Which car would you like to take?"

The child chose one of the sport cars. He would have probably been more enthusiastic about it if his brother had been coming along but the businessman felt it was time to ween them both off of this sibling dependency they had. The sooner they learned it was a cold hard world where not even family could be trusted, the better.

After all, not even the necessity of having a family existed for the businessman anymore.

The boy watched in awe as the older man started the car, the enormous engine roared like some furious large animal. He had to hold on as the car powered out of the driveway. The older man wanted to laugh at the boy's shocked look. Instead he accelerated down the road.

He knew where he wanted to go. He didn't slow down until he got there.

He reached the pier in less than thirty minutes. The child's eyes were vivid from the rush of the ride. He had probably never been in a sports car before. It was so unusual how a pair of orphans had wondered into the older man's house. He was sure to get them cleaned up and deloused before they had even entered his mansion. He bought the both of them crisp, clean clothing. It wasn't because he wanted to shower his new children with affection; actually it was merely a way to keep up appearances. He was sure his opponents would have some scathing words to say about the two boys. It was the least he could do to keep his reputation in tact.

Besides, he would show his opponents how nasty orphans could be.

Stepping out of the car he looked at his watch, though he had all the time in the world at that moment.

The boy in the car had a smile on, probably the first smile the boy had ever shown the businessman. It occurred to him that he was in control of that smile, he could decide whether it would show up again or not.

"Well, don't just sit there. Get out and don't slam the door." Ah yes. Cruelty was more his fashion.

The young one did as commanded, very carefully sliding out of the car. He seemed to tremble as he shut the door. The businessman smirked.

The pier, at least this part of the pier, was littered with high class shops and restaurants. The walk ways were of fine stone work and the architecture was grand, though it paled in comparison to those in Europe. Still, it was one of the richer districts and instead of the heady scent of flowers sea breeze dominated the area.

He made his way to a men's clothing store, the young child following behind him. Guided by a shop keeper, he observed the immaculate suits but found none that suited his fancy. Still, he bought a handsome tie which he was sure would go with some outfit of his. Bored by this, the man made his way to some other shop, buying a very expensive case of cigars. The kid must have been bored by this, but the little one never said a word.

"Do you know why I took you out today?" He asked. From the outside view, this little shopping trip would seem mundane. But he had his own plans. He always had plans.

"No." Said the boy, his bored tone was zombie like.

"Well then" Said the older man spotting an older woman, "You just might learn."

"Mr. Kaiba! It's surprising to see you here of all places." Said the woman. She looked roughly the same age as the business man with fine wrinkles forming around her lips and eyes.

"Ms. Takeda, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Oh yes." She said, spotting the younger boy. "My husband had told me that you adopted children. Is this one?"

"Of course."

"Cute, isn't he?" She said and as if in one fluent, practiced motion she looked at her watch. "I must be going, but I expect to see that little one again. I don't normally do this, but would you like to come to my home for dinner one of these days?" She said with a gleam in her eyes which hadn't been there before.

"That would be wonderful." The businessman said with the same gleam. "Goodbye for now."

"Yes. Of course. Goodbye." She said, walking promptly away, here heels clacking the stone work underneath her.

The businessman felt like an arrogant fool, parading his new son around like some new show dog. It was the cute one today, to get the attention of the ladies. That had worked well. And of course, it would be the older, sharper one tomorrow to get the attention of his rivals.

Feeling his tension ease up a bit more he made his way to the restaurants.

"You like sweets don't you?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

At first the child looked bewildered. "Yes." Came the shy answer.

The businessman led him into a small sweet shop. Ironically, the shop was as immaculate as the stores they had visited, the glass counter giving perfect views of the sweets under strong artificial lights. The whole shop was colorless and spotless save for the little cups and cakes in the cases. It didn't seem like a place for children at all.

"Which would you like?" The older man asked the child.

The boy's eyes searched frantically for an answer. There was too much to choose from, too many delectable treats to have just one answer. He looked at the older man, only to receive a hard gaze.

The businessman's eyes were sharp, studying the child. If he was so unsure of what treat he wanted how could he ever hope to run or help run a company. His company. It was just as the man had thought. Under the pressure of a materialistic, wealthy atmosphere the child could not come to a quick efficient decision.

It was a ridiculous way to test the child, to view his worth as a potential entrepreneur, but under the older man's gaze, the boy had failed in that department.

"Just get me a chocolate parfait" Said the older man irritably when there was still no reply.

The parfait was wrapped in a beautiful ornate box and handed to the man who swiftly walked outside and placed it one of the small tables. The child followed, taking a seat when the man instructed him to.

He sat across from the child, his hard gaze digging into what seemed to be the child's soul.

"Well, you're going to eat it aren't you?" Said the man annoyed. The child quickly opened the box in the same unrefined way he had defiled the flowers earlier. He grabbed the spoon and broke the surface of the chocolate and guided the spoon to his mouth. He repeated the process over and over, each scoop of the spoon bigger than the last. By the end of the session the child sat behind a clear glass cup which had once held the desert. The little one's eyes were dazed and there was a hint of a smile on his face again.

The businessman assumed that the child really liked his sweets, rather disdainfully at that. Even so, the young child was amusing.

But now it was time to get to business.

"What is your favorite dessert then?" He asked. It seemed like the start of a very casual conversation.

"This one." Said the boy pointing at the empty glass.

Ah, so the child had never had a favorite dessert before. Now the businessman saw the flaw in his testing. It was impossible to judge a person on the choices they made if the person in question had never had a preference before.

He sat back in his chair, relaxing a bit. Perhaps the child was not as dull as he appeared.

"Now what is your dream?" It was like a drill session of questions, uttered sharply and quickly.

The child's eyes lit up. "To build an amusement park with Niisama. One all the orphans can get into for free."

The man laughed harshly at this, rocking back in the small chair. "You think that's what you'll do when you have my company do you?" His laughter subsided suddenly and all that was left was a stern, overbearing look as cold as stone. "That will never happen as long as I'm alive."

But the child's gaze was just as serious, as if he was unfazed by the laughter. This made the business man's body grow cold or perhaps it was just the sea breeze that permeated the area.

He changed the subject to ease his mood.

"Your brother is going to be my heir. Do you think you would be able to help him when he controls my fortune?"

"Yes, I'd do everything for Niisama." The child said strongly. It was definitely weird how he suddenly became brave when the subject was about his brother.

"Would you kill for him?" The businessman asked. It was a horrible question to ask a child, but in the business world there were no children. There were only those who survived.

"Niisama wouldn't have to kill anybody." Was the child's reply.

"Is that so?" The child was once again meek under the man's leer. He enjoyed his severity. He enjoyed the harsh truth of the world. It would be fun to corrupt the kid.

"Would you die for him then?" This was another egregious question for a child. The man asked it with a smile on his lips.

"I'd do anything for Niisama." Said the boy, just like before he had the same fearlessness in his voice.

The boy's words astonished the man. In that one solaced moment, he was jealous of the orphan he had adopted. Without money, without anything the older boy had convinced someone to die for him. This admiration was something the older man had never known. It was probably the repercussions of living in the business world, the man noted.

But that moment came and went swiftly like water on a seashore.

It seemed the older brother was more influential than the man first thought. He would have to be careful of that.

He laughed again at the boy. The little one gave a cute little pout and looked at the floor. "You'll learn sooner or later how cold this world really is."

The man made his way to the car and just as expected the boy jumped in, eager for another ride. The man wouldn't give the child the satisfaction this time though, he drove slowly and carefully. Even sports cars could be boring when driven slowly.

The businessman was left to his thoughts in that slow ride.

The boy had passed the test. At least he knew that the boy was good for protecting his new heir. In the business world it was enough to be useful, and the older man supposed that the child would be rather useful- but to who? That was what made him, the strong and intimidating Gozaburo Kaiba, uncertain in his gut.

The boy was now sleeping in the car, the large engine had probably hummed him to sleep. He was cute, but the man hoped he wouldn't drool on the seat. He woke the child when they arrived at the house the man nearly kicked the boy out of the car. It was fun pretending to be nice one moment, it was even more enjoyable to be cruel the next moment.

The boy hurried into the house and disappeared behind the gigantic doors. The man sat in his car his gaze falling on nothing in particular.

The soft scent of chocolate lingered in the air longer than the businessman expected it too.

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Thanks for reading.

Author's note worthy of blogginess: I watched episode 109 again and I felt a little bad for Gozaburo. I know, I'm so weird, but it was 7 vs. 1 if you think about it; he didn't stand a chance. I also felt bad for him in Season 0 when he came back from vacation only to have his company taken from him from right underneath his feet (and then he died I think). Now I sound like a character sentimentalist, and to Gozaburo no less. One of these days, I'm gonna write a fic about Akhnadin, because strangely, he's a character I feel sorry for too. I'm so strange.


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